Snow fall leads to criminal charge
Published: 11 Dec 12 09:51 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121211-46693.html
A Bavarian man who got his grandmother to clear the snow outside his house faced charges of causing actual bodily harm through negligence after a woman fell on ice.
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Poorly cleared snowy pavements often lead to accidents - and a hefty bill for compensation for the house owner, whose legal duty it is to clear a walkway - but charges are rare, the Süddeutsche Zeitung said on Tuesday.
Yet the 32-year-old man was in court in Augsburg on Monday facing charges of causing injury by negligence after a woman fell over outside his house and suffered strained ligaments.
The 44-year-old woman not only sued for compensation, but also filed a criminal charge, which was taken up by the state prosecutor, who demanded he be fined a fine of 25 days' income.
The man told the court his grandmother had cleared the snow that morning - but the woman said there was ice on the pavement which had caused her fall. The court dismissed the case and the man was acquitted.
Most towns and local councils require house-owners to clear the snow next to their property, and have rules about pavements being cleared before 7 am, and keeping them clear until 8 pm.
A brief interlude of above-freezing for much of the country on Monday, followed by freezing temperatures during the night left many areas with treacherous conditions for cars and people. The German Weather Service (DWD) forecast double-digit minus temperatures by the middle of the week.
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Your comments about this article:
What about the city, do they have any responsibility to keep pedestrian walk ways clear and sanded?
Mad, mad mad.
Every year, we have the problem with hanging icycles and roof avalanches. The home owners are also liable for those. Yet, you can't clear them because cars are parking too close to the house.
On Sunday i saw a man sit on his &r$£ next to an icy spot on the pavement waiting for a car to stop and see if he was alright (obviously to claim some easy money). I so wish he was sat next to an icy puddle when i drove past. That would have been an insurance excess i would have gladly paid for a laugh.
I came home from work at 4pm and then did it ,oh no what a criminal I am .
Does having such walk path next to a house make the real estate price lower for the house?
You may be on a rota and your time will come ,just look out for a very official letter from the resident committee.At the moment it is the fourth flat on floor two so it is coming.